In a small house somewhere, a middle-aged man with a crazed look on his face lashed a white, slender whip at an expressionless girl. The whip hurt terribly but left no marks. The man clearly knew that, and didn't want to mar the girl's flawless figure...
"Why? What makes you so strong? Miss Lin, you're fascinating. Even now, after all this, you can still keep quiet. Why? I really want to know. Is your chastity really worth protecting so much? You're just a little girl!! You don't even know anything!!!"
The girl's head lolled against the chair as if she were already dead, yet she could still look at the middle-aged man. She didn't speak. Relying on the nerves that still obeyed her, she managed a very, very strained smile, as if taunting him.
The middle-aged man went mad and lashed out even faster. His blows were so powerful that even the boy hiding inside a box felt a chill in his heart. The boy was deeply disappointed—not only in his own strength, but even more in his contempt for the middle-aged man's soul.
If only I had more power. If I had power, I could save her!!! Give me power!!! I'm willing to give up everything I have!!! the boy shouted endlessly in his heart. But nothing happened. Everything remained ordinary. Now he could only watch as it all unfolded, while the girl continued to endure...
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!!! Power!! I want power!! Power to defeat him!!" The boy was nearly driven mad, but thankfully, his nervous system hadn't gone mad along with him. He still just hid inside the box...
"Do you really want power that badly? If you truly crave it, just get it for yourself. Why keep shouting?"
The voice came from within the boy's heart. Without a doubt, it saved him from the brink of collapse.
"That's right. I can do it. I can do it on my own!!" The boy suddenly regained his confidence. He began to think, to plan, and to prepare to act.
Time slipped by second by second. Although the boy had pulled himself together, he was still anxious. His anxiety made it hard to focus on thinking and planning, but he was in much better shape than before. He watched the girl outside, who was still being tortured...
"I can only take a gamble!" The boy made up his mind. He took a dagger from his backpack. Inside the box, it looked exceptionally sharp. Then he took some red ink from his backpack and removed his outer garment...
"Haha, let's see how much longer you can hold out. That beautiful skin of yours is about to give in, isn't it, Miss Lin? How about it!! Want to cry? Go ahead. Since you're so strong, I won't do anything to you!! Really!!" The middle-aged man roared, nearly out of his mind. Though the autumn air was cold, sweat drenched him from head to toe, and his face had twisted beyond recognition...
The boy had finished his preparations. Now he was waiting for a chance—a perfect chance, one he absolutely had to seize...
The middle-aged man's hand had gone numb. He no longer had the strength to swing the whip, while the girl remained unchanged, her head tilted and her vacant eyes fixed on him.
The middle-aged man tossed the whip aside and picked up a strange tool. Few people besides him would know what it was. Yet the boy recognized it at a glance: it was an ancient, cruel torture device used on prisoners, a Nail Extractor. It could pull out a prisoner's nails intact while inflicting immense pain. The boy was stunned by the man before him. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he might never have believed that such an ancient torture device would be used on a girl who had nothing to do with him. The boy, who had just managed to regain his composure, hesitated once more. He began to feel an overwhelming fear of the middle-aged man...
"What should I do? What should I do? If I fail, will I end up just like her?"
"What are you afraid of? Isn't this what you've always wanted? What happened? Are you backing down now?"
"N-no, I..."
"So you're just a weakling after all. What a disappointment!!"
"No, I'm not a weakling. I, I, I..."
"Stay hidden here and watch her suffer. That way, you'll be safe!"
"D-d-damn it, I'm not a weakling!!!" The boy fell into a mental frenzy. With a loud shout, he suddenly sprang up out of the box. The middle-aged man, who had been preparing to use the tool, was so startled that he dropped it. He stared at the sudden intruder and sank to the floor...
The boy gripped the dagger tightly in both hands. This wasn't his first time using one. If he did what he'd practiced, he could take on the middle-aged man before him. Besides, he already had a great psychological advantage. If he followed his training, he was sure to succeed...
"Y-you! What are you?!" the middle-aged man stammered from the floor, clearly badly shaken. He was still terrified of the boy who had emerged from the box—a blood-soaked figure holding a blood-red dagger.
The boy gripped the dagger tightly with both hands and staggered toward the middle-aged man. Red liquid dripped from the blade onto the floor, making a horrifying sight. The boy burst into loud laughter. "Hahaha, haha! I am, I am, I am the one who will take your life! Despair!!! You insignificant human!!! I'll take your soul!!"
The middle-aged man's pupils rapidly dilated. His terror had reached its peak. Following his instincts, he scrambled to his feet and ran for the door...
The middle-aged man fled the house and kept running, running without any thought of stopping...
The boy watched him run off, then quickly put away the dagger and searched for where the man had left the keys. His movements were remarkably calm and swift. It took him only three seconds to find them. He quickly unlocked the chains restraining the girl, then took his clothes from the box. They were rather large, but he had no time to worry about that. He had to finish everything before the man returned.
After dressing the girl, the boy carried her into the box. Then he hid somewhere inside the house and waited for the middle-aged man...
At the same time, a kilometer from the house, dozens of people in camouflage uniforms searched the nearby hills in an orderly fashion.
"Report. Leopard hasn't found the target."
"Report. Bison hasn't found the target."
"Report. Zebra hasn't found the target."
"Continue searching the surrounding area. Pay special attention to residential buildings!"
"Roger."
"Damn it, that leaves only Ferocious Tiger and Grizzly Bear. Have they found anything? Are we really going to have to charge into the Lin Family compound?"
"Report. This is Ferocious Tiger. We found a middle-aged man resembling Ou Luo. He's been taken into custody!"
"Ah... Is he alone?"
"Yes. His mental state is very poor. Awaiting further instructions."
"Damn it, has he already done something to Lin??? Damn it, quickly ask him where the target is. Use any means necessary!!"
"Roger."
"Report. The target's location has been confirmed. We're going in to rescue her now!!"
...Three minutes later...
"Report. We found no target at the location. There's only a blood-covered child inside. Awaiting further instructions!"
"A child??? How is that possible? Where's Lin? Ask him where Lin is!!!"
"It's no use. He can't hear what we're saying anymore!!"
"Damn it, subdue him first. Don't hurt him!!"
...One minute later...
"Target located. She's still alive. We're taking her to the designated location now!!"
"...Thank goodness, whew, thank goodness. Take the child there too!!"
"Roger."
The boy sitting inside the room rushed out and shouted to his companions, "Lin, Lin, Lin has been rescued! She'll be here soon!! It's over. Half a year of preparation, and we've finally done it!!!"
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